Nov 08, 2018

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Recursion Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company that combines artificial intelligence (AI), experimental biology, and automation to discover and develop drugs at scale, today announced a $1.6 million Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) via the National Institute on Aging (NIA). It follows the successful completion of milestones set in the initial Phase 1 grant for $223,000, awarded in 2016.

Both grants focus on a process known as cellular senescence, whereby individual cells no longer divide or undergo cell death. Research in animal models has demonstrated that a progressive build-up of senescent cells – as happens with age and disease burden – can negatively impact tissue function and foster inflammation. Cellular senescence is, therefore, believed to be an important driver in nearly all age-associated chronic diseases as well as some rare diseases.